the absence of such protections of individual freedoms had a disturbing effect on the opponents of the Constitution. Along with the call to create a national military force, these two points served as warning signs to the citizens that their freedom was tenuous, and at any time could be taken from them, if necessary, by force. Of course, a bill of rights was added to the Constitution, but the significance lies in the fact that such fundamental protections were absent from the original document, and reluctantly added later by Madison. Parallels between the abuses of power that lead to the Revolution and the potential for the abuse of power under the Constitution were visible to the anti-Federalists; guarding their hard fought political power and liberty against an inevitable despotic government was their mission. Circumstances certainly had an effect on the views of the anti-Federalists. In terms of both their recent experiences under English rule as well as the class differences that existed, the anti-Federalists perceived the Constitution as undemocratic and its drafters as the potential aristocrats and unchecked political leaders that would eventually rule over them. The bottom line, however, that caused such great concern for the anti-Federalists were the underlying philosophical principles within the Constitution. The people wanted democracy, the powers that formed the new government feared democracy. The common man, represented by the anti-Federalists, believed that democracy could work if proper representation was insured. Those holding power and influence, the Federalists, found a pure democracy to be an impracticable and even dangerous form of governing such a large nation. The colonists had experienced the power of democracy in their towns and states, and to take away this recently discovered power was seen as a mortal threat to their liberty. They saw themselves as they were ten years earlier under English rule, s...
